Once An Eve Novel

drawer shut and stood just as Charles came back into the room.
    “This,” he said, setting the model down on the table, “should give you the full idea.”
    I wiped at my forehead, hoping he didn’t notice the thin layer of sweat that had settled on my skin. The miniature version of the park took up half the table, the buildings crafted out of thin pieces of wood. Blue paint had hardened to form the still ponds. A green, mosslike fuzz covered the ground. Charles kept looking at me, then at the model, as if waiting for some kind of approval.
    “It’s great, it really is,” I said, trying to keep my voice even. But with the plans tucked away, I just wanted to be alone again.
    “There’s more,” he added, pointing over his shoulder, at the side room. “I used to build these with my father. I can show you the others—”
    “That’s all right,” I said quickly, stepping away. “I should really get back.”
    Charles’s face changed, his smile suddenly gone. He looked stricken. “Right. Some other time then,” he said, taking a deep breath. His eyes searched mine, looking desperately for something more.
    “Another day,” I finally offered, giving in to the lingering guilt. I tried to remind myself that he worked for my father. That we’d only spent a few hours together—if that—and that he probably had his own motivations for seeking out my company. “I promise.”
    I started out the door, leaving him there, his face half lit by the sun streaming through the blinds. A soldier waited for me in the hallway. He followed me into the elevator and up to the top floors of the Palace.
    When I was alone in my suite I sat down on the floor and pulled off my boots. As I sorted through the thin sheets, any guilt I felt about deceiving Charles disappeared. There, just ten papers into the stack, were sketches of tunnels. LAS VEGAS DRAINAGE SYSTEM typed across the top in beautiful, perfect print.

twenty-five
     
    “YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO DO THIS,” CALEB SAID WHEN WE reached the top of the motel stairs. He grabbed my hand, pulling me to him, his arms wrapped around my shoulders. “But I’m glad you did.”
    The faint sounds of music drifted from a room at the end of the corridor. We’d traveled through the Outlands to Harper’s apartment, looking for Jo and Curtis. Now we stood on the upper landing of the run-down motel. Faded plastic chips were strewn everywhere. Broken chairs covered the patio. A man bathed his small son in the half-empty hot tub below, using an old juice carton to rinse the soap from his hair.
    Caleb led me through the corridor. We stayed close to the wall, hidden below the awning. A few lights were on in the other rooms, visible through windows covered with tarps and ripped sheets. Caleb knocked five times on the last door in the hall, the same way he had at the hangar. Harper was inside, his hearty laugh breaking the silence.
    “You two again.” Harper grinned, opening the door. He wore a long blue robe, a tight gray tank top visible just underneath it. “What are you doing out here?” He ushered us in, checking to make sure no one had seen. The room was crammed with worn mattresses and stacks of the City’s newspapers. Curtis and Jo were sitting on warped wooden boxes, drinking from a jug of amber liquid. Curtis set the jug down when he saw me. His eyes were tiny black specks behind his thick glasses.
    “I have a present for you,” I said, unable to stop from smiling. I kneeled down and unzipped my boot, handing the roll of papers to him.
    Jo helped Curtis spread them out on the floor. “Are these what I think they are?” she asked, flipping through the pages.
    “Where did you find them?” Curtis pulled one from the bottom of the stack, tracing his fingers over the sketches. He glanced sideways at Jo, his face breaking into a smile. He covered his mouth as if trying to hide it. “I don’t believe this.”
    “I think what you mean to say is ‘Thank you,’” I corrected. Harper let out a little laugh and winked at me in approval.
    “That’s where the collapse is,” Jo whispered, pointing to a spot on the map. She moved her finger across to the other side. “We need to access this tunnel to the east. All this time we’ve been thinking we should keep digging north.”
    A pot was boiling on a hot plate next to the refrigerator, the steam filling the air with a strong, spicy scent. Harper moved around the makeshift kitchen, taking another jug and emptying it into